Good morning MikeW,
Thank you a lot for all the info. You are right in everything you said. The last part makes me laugh, and I agree with you, they should provide an AI file instead of a PDF one.
Good news form my part. I made two PDFs from my final files. I transfer them to another computer (iMac with El Capitan), and open them in AI CS6.
They look great, with a little darker tone to all colors, as usually AI does.
Then, I test in AI the first PDF I sent to the printing company, and it looks badly with the knock out.
My daughter saw me working with the Flag design, I told her about my issue, and she told me that she reduced the size of my first PDF file. I asked what?
Well, she tried to help me, she saw my file was 9.4 MB and she used the Acrobat DC Reduce Size PDF feature, and make it 2.4 MB. Then, she sent to the printing company this reduced file.
I checked this file in AI, and there it was the knockout (created by Acrobat DC I assume).
Well, for you to see t, I attached my first PDF plus the reduced my daughter made. If you can open them in AI, you will see the issue.
In other words, AD is not the culprit. It is AI.
Thank you very much, I am learning a lot about Pantone colors and PDF exports. Which the most of the printing places in my city, use. I haven't found one of them without AI for printing.
Well, Thanks a lot again, and i will work on the effects.
Happy Holidays to you and all Serif Team,
Bogar
MM-2017-Home-Flag-bgprint.pdf
MM-2017-Home-Flag-bgprintsm.pdf

One more question MikeW,
Why my AD file takes too long to export to PDF? or even another format.
I click on Export Persona, and I didn't find the way to export as used to be, now i have to go to File Menu and choose Export and follow the same options as if i were in the other Persona.
I export from the Export Persona and it passed more than 5 minutes and didn't do anything, so I cancel it.
Thank you a lot MikeW,
Bogar

I just noticed that the black I used in the Piano keys and bkg was not Pantone. I changed it and I made new tentative final files.
If I am using Pantone Colors, which Color Format should I choose in the Document Setup? right now I have CMYK & U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2.
I didn't add dimensions to bleed, because I created the full file as one, them I assume the printing company will arrange the file to fit their template.
the pg1 & pg2 are vector. The ones with px are rasterized.
I didn't exported to PDF, since you are helping me a lot to find out what the real final product would be.
Thanks a million, and good morning,
Bogar
MM-2017-Home-Flag-final-pg1.afdesign
MM-2017-Home-Flag-final-pg2.afdesign
MM-2017-Home-Flag-final-pg2px.afdesign
MM-2017-Home-Flag-final-pxpg1.afdesign

Thanks a lot MikeW for your expertise. Have a good night.
PS: Well, if the PDF from the rasterized version, works in their machine to produce my design correctly; a little bit of change in the color is not important. I'll wait for your advise, Thanks.

Dear MikeW, thank you very much for all your great explanation.
There are some question to ask to the printing company. They requiere Pantone Solid Coated colors.
I will send them your replay so they can give me more info. I attached the template they sent me, so you can see the bleed and marks they requested.
I just duplicated my AD file and I rasterized it. Then, I exported as PDF for print. I sent this PDF to them. Let's see when they replay to me for another proof.
In the meantime, I attached my AD using their template, plus their template in PDF. I also attached my two new rasterized AD files with their PDF exported (Do you think this may work with the printing company? )
Question, how do you take out RGB from the effects, and convert them into Pantone?
Thank you very very much MikeW.
Bogar
BestFlag-Flag-3x5+Flag+DS-PS1.pdf
MM 2017 BestFlag-Flag-3x5 Template.afdesign
MM-2017-Home-Flag-bgprintpg1px.afdesign
MM-2017-Home-Flag-bgprintpx.afdesign
MM-2017-Home-Flag-to-print-pg1px.pdf
MM-2017-Home-Flag-to-print.pdf

Dear Serif Team, Happy Thanksgiving,
I just finished my Flag Design, exported as PDF for Print 300 DPI, open this pdf in Acrobat, and it looks great.
Then, I send it to a company for printing and making my flag, but they sent me a proof and there was two mask, weird.
I attached my AD file, the PDF I sent to the printing company and the proof the printing company sent me.
Thank you very much always for everything.
Bogar
MM-2017-Home-Flag-bgprint.afdesign
MM-2017-Home-Flag-bgprintsm.pdf
XPO-64215_Proof.pdf

Dear Serif Team,
I was trying to create a rectangle with a brush stroke on it. I do not know how to do it, so I was experimenting with different ways, making the rectangle first, then selecting properties in the stroke, click on the texture line style, then Properties, and choosing a brush in the Brush panel, it didn't work, but what i found was that if I click the tab General in the properties window, and then click on Custom, AP crashes.
I attached pics in order as i recreate the crash again & again for 6 times, to be sure.
I did restoring the session and without restoring it.
Thank you,
Bogar Guzman

Dear Serif Team,
I was trying to export as png, I clicked on File/Export... then chose png, and clicked on Export, nothing happened, no window to export my file.
To my surprise, I clicked and drag by accident in the layer panel and the window to export my file appeared.
So, now when I'm going to export, after I click on Export button, I click and drag on an empty spot in the layer panel, this is going to be for a while, because I know you will fix it.
As soon as I can export, not hurry.
Thanks,
Bogar

I bought two books and they look the same as "avenson". It is a minor issue, nevertheless I agree with avenson to check the quality or the box for the next books. It could be a shipping issue. It is nice to get a brand new looking product.
I won't return them, because the content is the most important.
Thank you very much Serif team.
Bogar

Great Workbook, THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH. Actually I bought two copies, one for me and one for my best friend, she has a printing shop.
I have a question, when will be coming Affinity Publisher? I have many friends that are writers, and I am working in three books.
Thanks again,
Bogar

I almost forgot, it is another issue in the same file. I know I should write it in another post, but it is related to PDF and PNG with this same AD file.
I used Transparency Tool to the globes and they look great, but when I tried to apply a little transparency with a little bit of gradient to the bottom edge of the Wheels (I selected the whole group of a Wheel and apply the effect to it), they looked fuzzy in the final exported PDF or PNG.
So I had to forget about the little effect to the Wheels.
Thanks again,
Bogar

I have the same issue in Affinity Designer. But I don't want to rasterize the vector logo, since it will lose quality in the printing or when resizing it.
I notice that the setting in the CMYK were change by themselves. I wanted a totally black background, but then after exporting the file to PDF, I checked the CMYK setting and they were moved to have a grey.
I have to erase the rectangle background and redo it, then after selecting the rectangle layer, I moved the settings CMYK in Fill to 100% all of them. Nevertheless the Stroke setting were different, and I was not using Stroke, so I moved the to 100% too.
After a few tries changing these setting and exporting to PDF, I finally could keep the setting in totally black.
Thank you,
Bogar
Motor Voter Flyer bk.afdesign

Dear Serif Team, first Congratulations for your super great and hard work.
I don't know exactly the name of this tool i have in mind, but is kind of what t shows in a CAD program, you move the mouse and the point, will show you some coordenates according the doc, or distance from different point you choose to another.
This will help for designers who likes math to check proportions.
Thanks,
Bogar